The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-09-08
THE GEoRGE TREoRTKs.

explanation or the George theories, ana
also 50 condensed but strong argu-
ment on the falacy Of the theories. that
we are impelled to lay both before our
readers and let them judge Of each:
To the editor OF the News:
The News has a number of times /
given brief criticisms Of the theories OF /
Henry George, but 80 far as ! am aware /
it has not stated clearly what those |
theories are. shall try to state them |
as briefly As possible, without attempt |
ing to defend them.
First-He believes that all men are |
born with equal rights to the natural
things of the earth, such as land, coal,
man having produced those things, he |
believes they should belong forever as
much to one man as to another, and
that laws which in anyway permit one
class of people toget possession of those
things to the exclusion of others are
wrong.
Second-He believes that everything
produced by human effort rightfully
belong to those producing them, and
that no part or share of them belongs
to anyone else. Hence, when man
builds house, he thinks he should not
be taxed or fined for building it, as he
is now. We should encourage people
to build houses and to work in every
way, and not fine them for doing it.
Third-His method of giving TO every
person equal rights to the natural
things of the earth, is to tax nothing
but land values, and to tax them up to
a full rental. For example, j. b. Brown
would not have to pay tax on his new
building on the corner OF Main and
Sherman streets, but he would have to
pay a tax on the lots on which the
building stands, and this tax would be
no more than that on the lots next
north of his. This method of taxation
would encourage people to put up
them from holding vacant lots or valu-
able lots with poor buildings on them.
Fourth-He believes that when a
man pays tax for a privilege granted
to him by the public, it is very differ
ent thing to paying tax to the public
for something that the public never as
sisted him to get, and which he got by
his own effort, a house. The tax for
the privilege-the lands q just tax.
The public have a right to it, because
all had an equal right TO the land, and
the person getting the privilege should
pay its full annual value to the public.
In other words, no person should eX-
pect any favor of the public more than
of a private individual, and it is always
supposed that private individual is
entitled to the rent of his land.
Fifth-Henry George believes that to
divide the rent equally among all is
equivalent to dividing the land and all
natural things equally among all, and
to take the rent for public use is the
same thing as dividing equally among
all.
To oppose Henry George one should
be able to prove that we are not all born
with equal rights to the world in which
we live; that the great majority of man
kind are born with no rights to those
things; that they have no right to stand
| it of some other person. They should
also be able to prove that it is right to
fine people for building houses and to
tax them on the works of their own
| hands. JUSTICE.
In order to oppose Henry George it is
| not necessary that one be able to prove
that we are not all born with equal
rights to the world in which we live,
but only that we accept Georges own
theory, that man Is entitled to enjoy
the work of his own hands. The man
who cuts down the forest, digs out the
stumps, clears out the rocks, bitches
the swampS and plows the land, has
put the work of his hands into that
land just as much as he who builds a
house has put the work of his hands
into the house. 1t is true that he has
not created any new land, but it is also
true that the man who builds the house
has not created any new material. Il
the natural things of the earth should
belong forever as much to one man as
another, then no man could own any
material thing, for all matter belongs
To the natural things.
Mr.. Georges idea of making thu
land bear all the burden of taxation
might, and probably would, result in {
change of ownership of the land. But
it would work altogether in favor o.
the rich. Only those who were com
PEELED to earn their living by tilling TIT
soil would hold land for farming pur
poses, while the rich would only holC
so much as would answer for building
their residences and business houses
upon. And thus almost the entirV
support of the government must com,
off the poor.
But" says Mr.. George, 1--WE would
tax the land according to its value
The rich mans town lot is worth NOR
than the poor mans farm, and mus
J therefore pay a greater rental" No
, so. If the rich mans town lot il
worth more than the poor mans farm
1t is because the work of the hands o
men has made it worth more. Coz
made the country, man made the town
Men cannot be taxed for the work o
their hands, is one of Mr.. George
cardinal doctrines. Under the Guur:,
; system an acre of land in Arizoni
: must pay as great tax to the govern
ment as an acre in the heart of New
York CITY.
Nor would the George system zen
courage people to put up good build
ings." On the contrary, it would dis
courage all building, save what is abso
, lutely necessary. Men are never en-
thusiastic in improving the property o
others. Perhaps they ought to be, blu
they are not, and we must take men a
they are. Mr.. Brown would neve
| have put up the magnificent buildin,
on the corner of Main and Sherman
streets, had he not owned the lot upol
which it is built. Men do not build TO
the present. They want to know tina
during all their lives they can enjo,
the fruits of their labor, and that thei
heirs after them shall be benefited
thereby.
hands is right. Governments are insti
tuted for the purpose, not of granting
new rights, but of protecting individu
ais in the enjoyment of the rights they
have, either natural or acquired. Thl
man who builds q house. or buys
horse, or feeds and cares for calf unit
1t becomes cow, desires to be protect
cd by the government in the rights hI
has acquired in the house, or horse, o.
COW, and he should pay for that pro
lection. What justice could there bC
IN compelling the poor farmer to pay
for the protection granted by the gov.
eminent to the man whose boarded
millions are invested entirely in per
sonal property
AN ACTUAL OCCURRENCE.
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